Safe Hands
by CBloom2
Summary: Can't tell you how disappointed I was that there wasn't any brotherly interaction in 'Monday Mourning' so I had to remedy that. SPOILERS for that episode (2.17) if you haven't seen it. This includes Jay even though he's not in the character list.


**So, I watched 'Monday Mourning' last night and was so disappointed that there wasn't any scenes that involved Will and Jay together. What was the point in having Jay in the episode if he wasn't going to interact with his brother? Jay managed to ask Natalie how she was coping but not his own family? Do the writers of these shows not enjoy writing brotherly interactions? Sorry I'm ranting but it just didn't feel right to me.**

 **I must admit though when Will was talking to the neurosurgeon and he asked Will if he had ever thought about suicide and Will said 'no' I told my tv that he did in my story! Ha ha**

 **This kind of carries on from my last story You Saved My Life. I don't think that you have to read that one to understand this one, but read it if you would like to.**

 **So to make up for the lack of brotherly interaction I've written this one shot, which takes place about a week after the events of the episode.**

 **I don't own anyone that you recognise, they belong to the Chicago franchise.**

 **Safe Hands**

Detective Jay Halstead sighed deeply as he read the message that had come through just seconds before. His partner glanced at him, "Everything ok?" she asked.

Jay had been quite distracted for the last few days after the events at the hospital, "Yeah...no...I don't know..." he told her as he glanced her way, "I'm worried about Will."

"Now that wasn't what I was expecting you to say," Erin smiled.

Jay couldn't help but chuckle, "Yeah, I guess I'm usually complaining about him, but this suicide, it really got to him..." he trailed off as he remembered his conversation with his older brother about a week ago.

"I suppose this type of tragedy is very unsettling, especially when you know the person."  
"Yeah, but it's not just that..."

"Then what else is it?" Erin queried, as she watched a myriad of emotions cross her partner's face.

Jay looked at her, then looked out of the window, "He told me that he thought about suicide once," he choked out, as he clutched his phone tighter.

"Will? Really?" Erin was shocked.

"Yeah," breathed Jay, "Party boy Will! I didn't know..." he finished, shaking his head.

"What stopped him?"

Jay looked her in eyes, "I did apparently and I wasn't even in the country!"

Jay smiled slightly at her confused expression, "I was on a tour in Afghanistan and I'd been given my papers to come home. Will and I hadn't parted on good terms but for some reason the first person I wanted to tell was Will. I don't know to this day why, but I just had an overwhelming need to call him..." Jay paused as he recalled the conversation once more. Erin noticed that he had zoned out so she put a gentle hand on his arm to encourage him to carry on. Jay looked at the hand, then to his partner, "Turns out that was the call that saved his life. He was actually on the roof when he answered my call."

Erin gasped in horror.

"He only told me about it the other day. He had been at rock bottom. Mum had died, dad was AWOL, I'd gone away to fight after basically telling him that I never wanted to see him again, he was making mistakes at work and he was ready to end it all! He had no-one. God Erin, what if I hadn't called?" The distraught young man ran a hand over his face to cover the tears that had leaked out.

"But you did call him Jay. Something told you to call him first. No matter what had gone on before, you called him. Divine intervention maybe?"

Jay smiled, "Probably mum's way of making us talk again."  
"It worked didn't it?" Erin pushed.

"Yeah I guess it did," her partner conceeded.

"So what's going on now?" Erin asked because she knew that Jay had been trying to get in touch with his brother for the last couple of days.

"Nina called after Will went to work this morning to tell me that he's been plagued with nightmares over the last few nights. She's worried."  
"So she's asked you to talk to him," Erin summised.

Jay nodded, "Only he's finding every excuse under the sun to avoid me," he told her as he frowned at his phone.

"Well then go to the hospital - get in his face. He can't avoid you then can he?" Erin stated.

"No, I guess not," Jay agreed.

"Go now - I'll square it with Voight," she told him as he glanced warily in her direction, "You sure?"  
"Yeah no problem. I'll drop you off at Med. Take him to Molly's and I'll come and pick you up later. Don't take no for an answer," she told him.

Twenty minutes later, Jay walked through the automatic doors, surveying the chaotic, yet organised scene in front of him.

"Hey Jay," he heard. He turned in the direction of the voice.

"Dr Manning - hey, how are you?"  
"I'm good thanks," she smiled.

"I was looking for Will, have you seen him?" He watched, with interest, as her smile faded and her forhead pinched with concern.

"He's about somewhere - he's very busy," she told him.

"Yeah," he all but spat out, "To busy to even see his brother. I'll try the break room. See you."

With that he made his way through the hustle and bustle of the ED, checking every cubicle for any sign of his brother. There was none.

He opened the door to the break room and immediately noticed the shock of red hair against the stark whiteness of the table that Will was currently resting his head against. Jay moved to his side, "What does a guy have to do to get an answer to his messages?" he said as he laid a hand on his brother's shoulder, shocked to feel slight tremors running through him. At his touch, his brother shot up, his eyes wide with surprise. At this moment, Jay got his first good look at his brother in and days and didn't like what he saw. He understood now why Nina was so worried. Will looked awful. His face was a good deal paler than normal. His eyes had deep, dark shadows under them, his hands were shaking as they attempted to smooth down his uncharacteristic messy hair. He looked totally and utterly exhausted.

"God Will, you look shocking," he spluttered out before he thought about what he was saying.

"Gee thanks," the older man grumbled, "You're not exactly male model material either," he finished as he rubbed his eyes.

"What are you doing here anyway?"

"Can't a guy just call on his brother..."

"You don't 'just call' Jay - spill," he said as he got up and poured a couple of coffees and handed one to Jay.

"Well I have been messaging you for the past few days and you have declined EVERY chance for us to get together, so I have come to take you to Molly's - kicking and screaming if I have to!"

"Look Jay, I appreciate you coming down and all but I'm..."

"Busy, I know - but I also know that you haven't been sleeping..."  
"Nina," Will sighed, "She told you."  
"She did, and I'm glad she did. You look like crap man."

Will sighed as he dropped into a chair, nursing his coffee, "To be honest Jay, I feel like it too but I'm not good company when I'm like this, so I appreciate the gesture but I'm going to head home after my shift."

"Will, come on, I'm worried about you - talk to me," Jay begged.

Before anything else was said, a nurse came running through the door, demanding Will's attention once more.

Jay sat down, sipping his coffee, determined that he wasn't going to leave that night without his brother.

Later that night, at least two hours after his shift should have finished, Will wearily made his way into the break room, shocked and surprised to find his brother still there, all be it, fast asleep on the sofa. He watched him fondly for a few moments, emotions that he had been trying to force down threatening to overflow at the obvious concern and love that his younger brother was showing just by staying there.

There had been times when neither brother had cared about what the other one was doing, but now, well he had his answer right there in front of him. Nina had made the call to his little brother that he never would have done, and his brother had come to check on him. Perhaps he did owe it to Jay to not repay his concern with ignorance. After all,he had opened up to him on the day Wheeler had...no he wasn't going to go there again.

Will quickly changed and was just about to wake his slumbering brother when Nina walked in, "Hey, I..." her words stopped as she caught a glimpse of Jay.

"He's been here hours," Will told her softly.

"Oh...right...I..." Nina stuttered.

Will smiled and put his arm around her, "It's alright, I know, you're forgiven."  
Nina smiled back, "We're just concerned about you."

"I know and thank you. I'm going to talk to him, that is if sleeping beauty ever wakes up!"

He chuckled as he saw a slow smile spreading across his brother's face, "As if you were asleep," the older brother mumbled.

Jay jumped to his feet and clapped his brother on his shoulder, "You'll never know bro! So Molly's?"

Will nodded, "Molly's. You coming?" he asked his girlfriend.

"What? And cramp your style?" she smiled as she gently shook her head.

"He never had any style," Jay laughed, earning a clip around his head.

As they began to leave, Nina caught Jay's arm, "Thank you," she said.

"Nothing to thank me for," he told her, "That's what brothers do, and besides, first round is on him," Jay laughed as he slung his arm around his already complaining brother.

Nina smiled happily as she listened to their continuing banter, safe in the knowledge that Will was in safe hands.

 **Hope it was ok. I don't know if Jay did serve in Afghanistan (I don't watch PD) but he did in my story.**


End file.
